Fire-extinguishing composition.



UNITED sratrns PATENT oFrIoE.

WILLIAM W. WALKER, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO MAOANDREWS & FORBES COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

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No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in -Fire-Extinguishing Compositions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire extinguishing compounds such as those which when thrown upon the fire, operate to smother the flames.-

Such compounds usually. comprise chemical elements which are brought together about the time they are thrown upon the fire, and which in combining produce a gas such as carbonic acid gas which is non-supporting to combustion.

It has been attempted to improve the smothering effect of the carbonic acid gas by mixing with the' fire extinguishing compound a substance which tends to prevent the free escape of the gas or fumes liberated by the union of the chemical elements. A number of substances have been employed for this purpose such as glue and glucose, and solutions of sodium, potassium-silicate, and other substances, all of which are relatively expensive and greatly increase the cost of the compound. These substances however, deter the escape of the gas and their effect in this respect is made evident by the formation of a light foam, the bubbles of which contain carbonic acid gas. This foaming effect is particularly desirable in compounds of this kind which are employed for fighting fires on the surface of oil, and also for covering oil which has not caught fire, in order to form a protecting blanket which may be manufactured in ve of the gas.

A prmcipal object of this invention is to produce a fire extinguishing compimnd arge quantities and very economically, an which will be very efiicient when used as a fire extinguishing compound in the manner suggested above.

The invention resides in the compound and also in the economical method of producing the compound to be described more fully hereinafter, both of which contribute ifzo produce an efiicient fire extinguishing efect.

A preferred embodiment of my invention will be particularly described in the followshtimmm of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 20 1917, Application filed November 9, 1914. Serial No. 871,039.

ing specification while the broad scope of my invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In practising my invention, I select any suitable materials or chemicals which in use will operate to produce, in considerable quantities, fumes or gases which are non-supporting to combustion. A very suitable gas for th1s purpose is carbonic acid gas which has the well known property of not supporting combustion. Forthis purpose, I prefer 'to' generate the carbonic acid gas at or about the time the composition is thrown upon the fire, and this is preferably accomplished by employing two solutions which, when brought together, will have the effect of generating this gas.

When proceeuingjin'this way, I prefer to provide a solution'No. 1 which may consist for example of bi'-carbonate of soda 8 parts,

water 89 parts, and I provide also a solution No. 2, consisting of aluminum sulfate 11 parts, and water 89 parts. When these solutions are brought together, it should occur in the presence of my foam producing substance which brings about the deterrent efso tion. This foam producing substance may be produced in a very simple and inexpensive way and may also be. produced as a by-" product of pulp mills.

My foam producing substance for the fire extinguishing compound may be produced 90 from 'woody' substance andipreferably' from woods of a resinous or gummynature.

Many woods can beused for this purpose, such as spruce, poplar, fir, or the roots of pine or hcorice; also chestnut or hemlock stumps. The valuable properties of these woods for my purpose vary and preference depends largely upon the permissible cost of manufacture. In using the term wood, I

mean the roots as well as the body of-the .100

tree or stump.

Three parts of this foam producing substance are preferably added to solution No. 1, so that solution No. 1 as a complete component of the final mixture, includes my foam producing substance 3 parts, bi-carbonate of soda 10 parts, and water 87 parts. When the fire extinguishing compound is to be used, .I prefer to mix these two solutions just before they are thrown upon the fire; the result is, that as they fall upon the flames they generate carbonic acid gas in great quantities and my foam producing substance gives the liquid a certain amount of tenacity or property of resisting the outward passage of the gases. This eifect is made evident by the bubblyor foamy appearance of the mixture after being thrown upon the fire. The bubbles, of course, contain carbonic acid gas which is held back or deterred from escape by the bubbles.

The fire extinguishing composition will also act as an effective protection from fire;

for example, if a quantity of the composition is thrown over the surface of inflammable oil,,exposed to fire, a blanket of foam containing carbonic acid gas or other gas non-supporting t o combustion is formed over the surface, and this tends to prevent the vapors. of the oil from coming in contact with the flames, or being ignited by lightning.

According to my method, I comminute the'wood by chipping or'grindin into a finely divided state. When manu acturing on a large scale,II place approximately 12 tons of the woody substance in a digester and to this is added a chemical solvent; I prefer to use about 2000 gallons of 10 degree Baum caustic soda solution which-is approximately a 10% solution. But I may use other solvents for this purpose.v The digester is then closed and subjected to a high temperature so that boiling occurs at about 120 pounds pressure within the digester. This boiling under approximately 120 pounds steam pressure continues approximately forabout ten hours. The extracted matter dissolved from the wood is then separated from the residue and is then .preferably evaporated down to 25 degrees Baum or moisture, in which condition it is loaded for shipment in bulk to the consumer 01' manufacturer.

If sulfurous acid is used instead of caustic soda, as in the sulfite pulp process, the

. ing compound by employing as my woody extract the substance known in pulp mills as black liquor which is a by-product of such mills. This substance so far as I am aware haspreviously had no commercial value and has been treated as a waste product.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention set forth above is only one of the many embodiments the invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited inthe practice of the invention, nor in my claims, to the particular embodiment set forth. v Obviously I do not limit myself to the exact proportions given above for the solutions, and variations of the same are within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is;-

1. A component for a foam-producing fire extinguishing charge, consisting: of. the woody extract known as black liquor combined with a gas producing chemical substance, said component when associated with a complemental composition operating to produce fumes non-supporting to combustion.

2. A fire extinguishing charge consisting WILLIAM W. WALKER.

Witnesses:

F. D. AMMEN, L. ELF AN. 

